Legislation

SEARCH & SEIZURE: Police Road Blocks (HJR 25) (2011)

A constitutional amendment to weaken our search and seizure provision (Article I, section 9) of the Oregon Constitution was introduced for the third session in a row. HJR 25 would have amended the constitution to authorize law enforcement to use roadblocks to stop and question individuals to detect drunk drivers without any individualized suspicion of wrongdoing.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE: Health Care Notification to Law Enforcement (HB 3085) (2011)

Introduced by Rep. Barker (D-Aloha), HB 3085 expands the requirement by health care providers to notify law enforcement of the results of a blood test performed in the course of treatment if the blood contains a controlled substance and the person is believed to have been the operator of a motor vehicle involved in an accident.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE: Removing the Statute of Limitations (HB 3057) (2011)

The ACLU opposed HB 3057, introduced by Representatives Dave Hunt (D-Gladstone), Margaret Doherty (D-Tigard) and Jeff Barker (D- Aloha), which would have removed any statute of limitations for sex-related crimes if the victim was under the age of 18 at the time of the alleged crime. Under this bill, a person could be charged with a crime decades after the alleged event.

DRUG REFORM: Medical Marijuana (HB 3664) (2011)

The ACLU testified against HB 3664, which would have significantly rewritten and weakened the Oregon Medical Marijuana Act (OMMA).

Drug Reform: Vote “Yes” on Measure 74 (2010)

Ballot Measure 74 builds on Oregon’s current medical marijuana law that the ACLU of Oregon helped draft in 1998. Currently, medical marijuana patients can only legally access medical marijuana in two ways: grow it themselves or obtain it from an authorized grower, who by law may only grow for a few people. Other than that, the only way a qualified patient may obtain medical marijuana is on the black market.  For many patients the result is that they either cannot access medical marijuana or they must obtain it illegally. The ACLU of Oregon supports de-criminalizing medical marijuana and Measure 74 advances that effort by creating both a legal and safe means for qualified patients to obtain the medication they need.

PRIVACY: DNA-Creating DNA Retention Policy (SB 310) (2009)

SB 310 builds on Oregon’s DNA innocence law passed a few years ago allowing a person convicted of murder, a “person” felony or certain sex crimes to request testing of evidence for DNA that was obtained in the original criminal investigation. ACLU worked to pass what was a temporary law when it was first introduced in 2001 and led the effort in 2007 to make it a permanent part of Oregon law. That law establishes a procedure to request testing but does not address the question of retaining evidence so that it can be tested years later.

PRIVACY: Criminal History Background Checks for Employment & Licensing (HB 2187, HB 2217, HB 2224, HB 2442*, HB 2988*, HB 3427, SB 46, SB 66, SB 94, and SB 157) (2009)

Beginning in the 1990s, the Oregon legislature began authorizing FBI fingerprint criminal history checks for school teachers. Over the years, this authority has expanded greatly to include most state agencies that grant licenses or hire employees in “sensitive” positions. In 2005, ACLU worked on omnibus legislation in this area (HB 2157). We supported certain provisions of that proposal because it included new uniform safeguards and due process protections for all persons subject to FBI background checks and maintained the requirement that the fingerprints be destroyed after the background check.

ACLU Opposes Measure 57, but…* (2008)

Would Expand Prison Sentences and Add Drug Treatment Opportunities

ACLU of Oregon Challenges Ashland's Anti-Camping Ordinance

Southern Oregon Chapter Questions Harsh Laws Targeting People Who Are Homeless

Oct. 13, 2008 -- The Southern Oregon Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon calls upon the City of Ashland to amend its “Prohibited Camping” ordinance from one that punishes poverty and homelessness into one that prods the city to provide housing for the homeless. 

ACLU Lobbying Leads to Change in Portland Police Practices

New Rules Protect Death With Dignity and Medical Marijuana Acts

December 11, 2007 - As a result of ACLU of Oregon lobbying efforts with Portland Mayor Tom Potter, Portland Police Chief Rosie Sizer has issued an executive order that specifically prohibits any police assistance with investigations or prosecutions for persons who are acting under the authority of Oregon’s Death with Dignity or Medical Marijuana acts.